Whether you live in the United Kingdom, are a British citizen spending time abroad or just enjoy English culture and television, you have good reason to use a UK VPN.

Picking a VPN can sometimes be confusing, and the right choice not always obvious. Britain is arguably the most extreme surveillance state in the western world. The right VPN needs to give anyone in the country the privacy, anonymity and uncensored Internet they deserve. But, it should also allow those who are outside the UK to access geo-blocked content, like the BBC's excellent streaming service iPlayer.

Being a BBC iPlayer addict myself, I test many VPN providers, and I test them often. Based on the criteria above, here are the ones I consider the best VPNs for the UK.

Cons

With little hesitation, NordVPN is my pick as the best VPN for the UK. They check all the right boxes and regardless of whether you're in or outside the United Kingdom, offer every feature you need.

NordVPN has the largest number of British servers of all providers (currently 427 and going up regularly) spread across six locations. Beyond the UK, NordVPN's server list includes 3090 machines in 60 other countries. That's an impressive number which covers every major location most would want to connect to, and then some. Server speeds are top notch.

NordVPN's privacy policy is second to none. They are one of the few truly no logging providers. The company operates out of Panama, a country with absolutely no data retention laws, completely unrestricted internet access and zero government surveillance. Panama is also out of reach of the British GCHQ and the American NSA.

In my experience, NordVPN is also one of the best providers for consistent access to the BBC iPlayer and the many other UK streaming services. Their IPs are rarely blacklisted, and when it does happen, NordVPN replaces them quickly. And thanks to their sheer number of UK servers, even with some IPs banned, I can always very easily find one that works.

Cons

Expensive if you pay monthly (very affordable if you don’t)

Performance could be better in a few countries

macOS client missing some features

A close second place, you can't go wrong CyberGhost as your UK VPN of choice. With a strict zero logging policy and a base of operations in privacy-friendly Romania, they score just as well on that front as NordVPN. From features and usability to performance, CyberGhost also gets pretty high marks everywhere else.

CyberGhost offers 291 UK servers in two locations. And when it comes to access the rest of the world, they're no push-overs either. With over 2200 servers in 60 countries, their global coverage will work for just about anyone. My speed tests also indicate their servers can more than hold their own too.

As mentioned, privacy-wise CyberGhost scores just as well as NordVPN. Where many VPN services will store data (albeit anonymously) like connection timestamps and bandwidth usage, CyberGhost doesn't log a single thing. And despite being part of the EU, Romania turns out to be very privacy oriented. They're not part of any intelligence sharing collaboration (like Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes) and hence, do not pass on information to the likes of the NSA, FBI or GCHQ. Not that they would have anything to share anyways, seeing how they store nothing.

When it comes to rotating out IPs blacklisted by the BBC and other services, CyberGhost is very much on the ball. They pride (and advertise) themselves as a VPN service which can get you around geo-blocking, and it shows. It's rare for their IPs to go down, and when they do, the longest I ever recall having to wait was a couple of days. And usually, things go much quicker.

Pros

Cons

No quick start option

Some potential security issues with DNS leaks

Select servers can have intermittent connection problems

Perhaps one of the better known and popular VPN providers in the market, PureVPN also makes an excellent choice as a UK VPN. They don't score quite as well as NordVPN or CyberGhost on the privacy front (though still do more than enough to keep you anonymous and safe) but get high marks everywhere else.

PureVPN runs 62 UK servers in 5 locations. As far as access to other places in the world, most providers would be hardpressed to match PureVPN's list which includes 750+ servers in 142 countries. Unless you're looking to connect to a small island in the South Pacific (and even then you might be in luck), they have you covered. Also, based on my tests, PureVPN's server speeds are consistently fast.

From a privacy point of view, PureVPN is not as great as the other two providers simply because they keep connection timestamps and bandwidth usage. However, they do so anonymously and only for service quality reasons. PureVPN does not in any way keep track of which sites you visit, what you download, which apps you use or any other online activity.

As far as working with UK streaming services, PureVPN has a solid track record. While I don't personally use them for this purpose these days (I prefer NordVPN or CyberGhost as my weapons of choice), whenever I do a spot check, I have no trouble finding a server which works.

Using a VPN in the UK

Those of use who live in the United Kingdom or plan on traveling there definitely have good reasons to consider using a VPN. If that's the group you fall into, read on.

Privacy and Anonymity

You may or may not be aware that the United Kingdom is one of the worst electronic surveillance states in the western world. This can be (and likely should be) a big deal for anyone who spends time in the country.

Thanks to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (nicknamed the Snoopers' Charter), law enforcement and intelligence agencies are legally able to obtain and analyze all forms of communications and communications data, including, of course, your internet activities.

One of the act's provisions states that internet service providers must keep internet connection records, including which websites you have visited, for an entire year. All that information is accessible and reviewable by the authorities at any time without a warrant.

I don't have anything hide (at least I don't think I do), but this whole idea certainly doesn't sit well with me. So whenever I'm in the UK, I resort to one of my favorite tools. A VPN does an excellent job of protecting against the Investigatory Powers Act.

When you use a VPN, you are effectively hiding from your ISP all websites you visit and online services you use. However, your ISP can still tell you're using a VPN, knows the times at which you use the Internet and how much data you send and receive.

Depending on what information the VPN provider keeps, if it's cross-referenced with the details your ISP is aware of, you and what you do online may be identifiable. This is the reason why, as you zero in on the best VPN for UK, you want to favor services which keep logging to a minimum.

Ideally, your VPN provider of choice will do no logging at all, and a few do that. However, most VPNs keep connection timestamps and bandwidth usage. That said, as long as they log nothing else and collect information anonymously, you should be fine.

Somewhat related to this, it's also a good idea to stay away from VPNs which operate out of the UK. They too fall under and have to comply with the Snoopers' Charter.

Uncensored Internet

Through mandates to the Internet Service Providers, the UK blocks access to several websites. Probably the best-known case of this is the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, though there are many others.

I agree that file sharing can sometimes be a problem, but I don't believe Internet censorship is the answer. If having true online freedom is important to you, invest in a VPN with servers in the Netherlands (a good place to connect to from the UK due to physical proximity) or any other country with no Internet censorship of which to speak.

Accessing UK Content

If you're in the UK, you may want to, for one reason or another, access an online service in another country. Maybe it's the streaming player for a foreign channel or the US version of Netflix.

That content will most likely be geo-blocked, meaning not accessible unless you're physically located where the service is offered. Fortunately, you can get around this restriction by using a VPN and simply connecting to a server inside that country. If this is something you plan on doing, be sure to pick a provider with as many servers as possible at the location (or locations) you're interested in.

Using a UK VPN Abroad

If you don't live in the United Kingdom (the category I fall into) or you spend significant time outside of it, there is still at least one very good reason to invest in a top UK VPN: getting around geo-blocking.

British TV and Radio

Viewing geo-blocked content works both ways. And arguably the number one motivation for most individuals outside the UK to want to VPN into the country is to access streaming services like the BBC's iPlayer, Channel 4's All 4 or the ITV Hub.

If watching UK TV is indeed your goal, be aware that companies who offer streaming (especially the BBC) are trying hard to stop you in your tracks and prevent access to their service from outside the country. If you're interested, I do go into more details about this in another post, explaining why a BBC VPN stops working and what to do about it. But it boils down to a tug of war between content providers banning VPN IPs and VPN providers replacing those bad IPs with fresh working ones.

This situation means just one thing: you will need a VPN which actively replaces banned IPs. Many will do this and do it quickly. Those are the providers to go after. Other VPNs either don't swap IPs at all or do it at a much slower pace, putting your British TV watching habits to rest for weeks at a time, if not longer.

More on Picking UK VPNs

There are two more noteworthy things to consider when choosing a VPN service for the UK. These are relevant regardless of where you are located and what you plan on using a VPN for.

The first thing is the number of available UK servers a VPN provider offers. The bigger that number and the more physically spread out across the country the servers are, the better.

A large number of servers balances user load, making sure little if any hardware is being pushed to its limits and performing poorly as a result. Besides, more choice is never a bad thing. And if you are in the UK, having the servers spread out increases your odds of having one physically close to you. Proximity is an important factor if you want to keep high internet speeds.

And on the subject of speed, the second thing to keep in mind is any VPN worth considering needs to be able to give you a fast connection. Using a service that does not will not make you a happy customer, especially when streaming video or transferring larger files. If a VPN is so slow you don't want to use it, what's the point of having it.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to use a good UK VPN, both in the country and abroad. Some of us want improved online privacy and an uncensored Internet, others look to satisfy their British TV cravings. Whatever your goals are, any of the above three providers will make an excellent choice and give you what you're looking for.

About The Author

Tim is the creator of Fastest VPN Guide. He comes from a world of corporate IT security and computer networks and knows a thing or two about what makes VPNs tick. If anyone can tell you exactly what separates the great from the not so great, it's Tim.

15 Comments

Robin Bernstein2018-07-25

Hi Tim
Thanks for all this info. I wish that I had found your website was I was on my recent holiday in Greece.
I have been using TunnelBear successfully for a few years now until recently. It didn’t work on BBC iPlayer or iPlayer radio whilst abroad, and now it’s also not working when I try to stream HULU whilst in the UK.
Now I’m back and have found your website I have trialed Nord VPN and HULU is now working. Does it therefore follow that the iPlayer will work next time I’m away? Assuming yes, I will upgrade my subscription.
Finally, sorry to be cheeky, but do you know of a way that I can download American only apps to an iPad (eg HULU) with a UK iTunes account?
Many thanks again.

Hi Robin. Not necessarily. HULU and the BBC are separate entities and blacklist VPN IPs completely independently of each other. So if HULU blacklists a specific VPN, that doesn’t mean the BBC has as well, and vice versa. That said, over the last year or so, NordVPN has been one of the most reliable VPNs for the iPlayer. Though it’s rare, they do go down from time to time (all VPNs do these days), but are usually back up and running in about a day.

As far as the iTunes account, I don’t have an iPhone or iPad (I’m an Android guy), so I can’t speak from personal experience. But, as far as I know, you can’t do what you’re trying to do. I believe you would have to create a second iTunes account for the US region, download the American only apps, and then switch back to your UK account. Like I said though, I haven’t actually tried this myself, so don’t quote me on it 🙂

I have used several other VPNs, but Speedify VPN worked for a while. Today I finally told them go to F themselves, after trying so hard to connect to BBC iPlayer. I tried both ExpressVPN and NordVPN, and decided to go with NordVPN. So far, I only had “This program is not available in your location” message twice. I had to choose a different location twice in order to go around that message. I wonder ExpressVPN is better than NordVPN, though the reason I went with NordVPN was the pricing. But I guess we will see how it works.

Thank you for your detailed explanatory mail.
The war with iPlayer seem to have gotten rougher – both my Disconnect and IPvanish are being blocked (Disconnect still manages to be undetected once every 30 trials). Is there a point trying another VPN server?

Hi Mat. Yes, some VPN providers do a much better job than others of staying on top of iPlayer connection issues. NordVPN particularly seems to be excellent at it. That’s not to say they never get blocked. They do. But for the many years I have used them, I’ve never known any of their servers to be blacklisted by the BBC (or any other UK streaming service) for more than a few days. If you do decide to try another VPN service, NordVPN is who I would recommend you try first.

Hi Tim, I am in rural Northeast California, and my DSL is about as good as dial-up… I’m considering moving to a satelite ISP… Only issue is 600ms lag… would that make the BBC iPlayer unworkable no matter which VPN I use (Currently Tunnel Bear)… Thanks, Fergus

Hi Fergus. I have never tried streaming with such high latency so I don’t know for sure (it’s something I should try one day). But, I suspect that yes, 600ms latency may cause issues with the iPlayer, and most other streaming services for that matter.

Streaming services like the iPlayers and Netflixes of the world usually use a networking protocol called TCP to send data. TCP is a guaranteed protocol, meaning that your device needs to confirm with the sender every bit of data received before more is sent. The higher the latency, the longer that confirmation takes, slowing down the next bit of data and the overall throughput. When the throughput drops low enough, that’s when you start seeing those annoying buffering messages (just as you would with low bandwidth speeds).

That said, this is just me walking through it in my head. Unfortunately, the only way to be 100% sure is to try. You could also ask the satellite ISP how well Netflix works over their service. It should experience similar issues.

If you do end up jumping ship to satellite and find the BBC unusable, the solution could be downloading videos ahead of time. It’s an option the iPlayer supports.

As I can’t see where to comment I am hoping that ” leave a reply ” will do the trick. I live in Spain and rely on BBC iplayer for all my TV watching…find most of the live stuff so boring. I have been using Tunnel Bear but they had now failed. My real problem is that my very IT savvy husband died 6 months ago and I am struggling to figure out how to replace TB. If I find a VPN on my android mobile and go through the signing up procedure how will I transfer that to my TV? I’m sorry if this is a daft basic question but have no-one to turn to with late Other Half’s knowledge.

Hi Jean. “Leave a reply” is indeed how you comment. I’m very sorry about your husband 🙁 I’ll try to do my best to help you. Can you please describe in greater detail how you used TunnelBear when it did work? Specifically, on which device was the VPN client installed (i.e. a tablet, a laptop, etc.) and then which device would you watch on. If you watched on your TV, is there any additional hardware connected to it (like a computer, an AppleTV, etc.)?

Thank you Tim for the excellent explanation, review and recommendation. I subscribed to IPVanish for years but ran into problems every now and then with it being blocked or causing connection problems with Mail and Safari. The BBC has now banned IPVanish completely (confirmed by IPVanish) so last night I spent a couple of hours reading reviews and found that others smelt of sponsorship by one VPN service or another or were a provider masquerading as an independent commentator. Some were still saying that IPVanish is good for connecting to the BBC. I took your recommendation and subscribed to NordVPN and downloaded it to my MacBook. It automatically connected to a server that provided trouble-free viewing of BBC iPlayer. Wonderful!

Hi Tee. They’re pretty minor things and far from being show stoppers (I’m mostly on a Mac as well). The biggest feature that’s missing in my opinion is the ability to sort servers. This only matters if you want to pick a very specific one and won’t be a problem for most users (I’m just pretty particular about my server selection 🙂 The windows client implements sorting based on server load or distance from your current location. The Mac, not so much. You get one big list that you then have to visually inspect (which gets especially annoying when you’re dealing with the 800+ US servers or nearly 300 UK servers NordVPN has). I also prefer how the menus are implemented on the PC. I find them more intuitive (though that’s pretty subjective and not an issue once you get used to them).